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[carlmc25]

Everyone agree's something for once, Pienaar = must buy. this lad has the creativity we need, obviously we still need a center midfielder but im happ for this lad to stick on either wing with Arteta for a few years, he's really impressed me.

 

Pienaar did really well for the first goal it has to be said, lovely ball by Arteta as well, good to see Pienaar's confidence growing and some of his tricks starting to come out. Great goal by Carsley, tho I'd be disappointed if Howard had've let it in from the outside the box at the near post. Terrible marking for their goal, schoolboy stuff. Lovely finish by Vaughan, kept composed and with his left foot just buried it just inside the post. For the first time this season it's going to be very interesting to see what teams Moyes puts out, virtually every week so far I think it's been very easy to guess 9 or 10 of the players who would play, once Grav is fit, AJ and Vaughan then Moyes will have a lot of big decisions to make and we really will have big time options on the bench. Just hope he doesn't chop and change TOO much, I'd certainly consider putting a couple of the more fringe players in the team for the UEFA and Carling cups. When I say fringe, I just mean maybe rest Arteta for one cup match, Pienaar for another, Cahill for one, Carsley for another etc. We have such good striking options that they should be pretty fresh all season, it's the midfield (in particular the wingers Arteta and Pienaar) who I'm a little concerned about getting burn out. We don't have many options on the wings and many players of Cahills ilk so we need to keep them fresh.

 

Exciting times.

[Pat]

We got so comfortable, it became uncomfortable.

 

Got to killl teams like this off much much earlier & with a sharp ruthless edge.

 

Howard - Usual High Standard

Neville - Was Good

Yobo - Usual High Standard

Stubbs - Was boss for 1st 20

Lescott - Usual High Standard

Carsley - Very good

Arteta - Typical craftwork, a lil complacent /sloppy a few times

Pienaar - Quite electric -> doing nice things of late

Osman - In & out, good patches

Cahill - Bobbed about, be much better for run

Yakubu - Very Good shift - Willing

 

Jagileka - Ok after found feet -> Pass mark , We did loose a lil composure (espec with distrib) When we lost Stubbs.

Vaughan - Popped up with Goal, unlukcy not to have 2

Gravesen - Brief but inventive

[KillaGTiR]

has anyone got links to the goals i missed the match

[Zed]

The sunday mirror had Arteta as MOTM, I wonder sometimes if they actually see the game. How much does one of these Journos earn?

 

Im amazed at people critisizing the usual players. Save it for when we loose or play shite

 

We created so much, just that final ball was missing

[Randomness]

arteta man of the match? Got to be Pienarr, thats just bad journolism assuming arteta would be the best player because we won, Atomsphere at the end of the game was fantastic, pity it had been dead in the 90 minutes before, Although listening to City on the way to the ground barry horne said "Its Small Games like this,-Unlike Larissa, Liverpool And Manchester United where the crowd lifts the players-, where The players are going to have to lift the crowd"

 

made up for Carsley, He's Found Form again, and Double Made up for JV, Clinical Finish on his Weaker foot, We're getting our better players back at the right time. should have enough for all the upcomming fixtures in december.

[MikeO]

Derick Allsop, Daily Telegraph...

 

....This is why they keep coming back, even when the football is awful and they know their team can never hope to get near the pace, control and technical excellence of Arsenal or Manchester United.

 

Another mundane offering from the Premier League proper – the sub-culture that represents everything below the big four – appeared to be stumbling towards a draw....

 

...wanker. Poor man gets paid to watch football matches, such a chore for him when he has to watch any of us "little " teams. Get a grip man.

[Blue 250]

Here's my input from an all too rare visit to Goodison!....Yes it was a bit too quiet, untill 90+3 minutes Really enjoyed waving to the Birmingham fans as Vaughan did what he does best!

The red taxi driver who drove us to the match(decent bloke who dislikes Rafa and said they were lucky against us......though perhaps he was after a big tip <_< ) said he thought Moyes's use of subs was a weakness, AND HOW HE WAS RIGHT!!!!!.We nearly threw away a couple of points! Why didn't he add fresh legs and ideas to the match at about 65mins? Gravo and Vaughan really got to Birmingham.

 

Thought Yakubu wasn't too bad though he's never going to a win a header from a long clearence, whilst when it comes chest height he can usually do something with it....................

..........TRAINING GROUND SUGGESTION!! Aim the ball for the Yaks chest not high enough to be beaten in the air.They are paid mega bucks per week, they can perfect this tactic, it's not that bloody hard!!!

 

Jagielka looked better in defence than midfield......Neville looked better in defence than in midfield!!.....but then most people thought that!

 

When Vaughan got that CARSLEY! header over the top he still had a lot to do.....boy did he do it well!

Yes Pienaar looked class.....Arteta and Cahill still have more than that in the tank! Ithought Yobo had a pretty good game as did Howard......WHAT the hell happened for their(Birminghams) goal?....Why not have either Lescott or Yobo at the near post?

 

Great feeling at the end though....but as mentioned a couple more grey hairs.....oh well it's probably worth it

[Blue4Ever]

When Vaughan got that CARSLEY! header over the top he still had a lot to do.....boy did he do it well!

Yes Pienaar looked class.....Arteta and Cahill still have more than that in the tank! Ithought Yobo had a pretty good game as did Howard......WHAT the hell happened for their(Birminghams) goal?....Why not have either Lescott or Yobo at the near post?

 

Great feeling at the end though....but as mentioned a couple more grey hairs.....oh well it's probably worth it

I think you will find Neville (my amazing) should have had him marked.

[gethinO]

Good fact about how quick vaughan is! He ran the 100 metres in 11.5 seconds as a 13 year old. In 1999, was recognised as the 3rd fastest 11 year old in Britain. It proves how quick he is! Great finish as well! So excited about him cos he is only 19! Things are looking good!

[carlmc25]

Good fact about how quick vaughan is! He ran the 100 metres in 11.5 seconds as a 13 year old. In 1999, was recognised as the 3rd fastest 11 year old in Britain. It proves how quick he is! Great finish as well! So excited about him cos he is only 19! Things are looking good!

 

have no idea if that is true but I've been saying all along that last season he looked quicker than AJ. AJ always seems to get caught and never really seems to pull away from defenders, I think partly as his ball control isn't great when running with it. When I saw youtube highlights of AJ before he signed he looked absolutely lightning, but last season for Everton he just looked pretty quick, nothing exceptional imo.

[Blue4Ever]

^^ Lets not forget about A.J here, he's still one of our best players, he just has to prove he's good enough to start not we have a few options.

[c1982]

I know it's not directly linked to the football but was there trouble after the match - I had to dodge a few police cars with their sirens on as I ran back to my car after the match? Them boys aren't the nicest bunch as it is (stereotyping) and to lose as they did - recipe for disaster!!!

[Bill]

In defence of AJ, i think last season he was asked to play with Niggling injuries (Ankle and then Groin) but he doesnt need to be rushed back now cos we have more options. I think when, or if he gets a chance, he should be 100% ready in the fitness department, and back to top form.

[carlmc25]

In defence of AJ, i think last season he was asked to play with Niggling injuries (Ankle and then Groin) but he doesnt need to be rushed back now cos we have more options. I think when, or if he gets a chance, he should be 100% ready in the fitness department, and back to top form.

 

don't get me wrong, I like AJ - he's just not quite the explosive pace machine I expected. We had missed someone with pace and movement since Radzinski went and AJ filled the hole and gave us the crucial pace and workrate necessary for us to play 451. It's just now that Yakubu is starting to show some workrate, I think it's undoubted that his footballing ability is superior to AJ and I also think Vaughan could be the player I hoped AJ was. I'm not saying we should sell AJ or anything, and seeing his name on a teamsheet is never a bad thing, but I just think that he is now going to have to step up and take on the threat of Yak/Vaughan and prove himself. His goal record hasn't been good enough. He has had niggling injuries so hopefully he will come back flying, but in my opinion, he has to.

 

When January comes round it may be interesting, I don't want to sell AJ, but IF we have no money left and it's a choice between keeping AJ and signing no one, or selling AJ for (approx) £11m and buying a superb dominating CM then I think, regretfully, I'd consider the latter. Wouldn't be an easy decision and Vaughan would have to be 100% fit. Personally I would much rather see Anichebe/McFadden/Valente/VDM go and raise the money that way but we'd probably only get £6m or so!

 

On another note once all strikers are fit I wouldn't mind seeing Anichebe farmed out on loan to a lower division to see if he can build his workrate/fitness up. The problem is, we don't really have many similar players up front to Anichebe, his height and strength does give us options, certainly from the bench.

Edited November 5, 2007 by carlmc25

[Calico]

I think we should look at eventually playing AJ and Yak together. If we want to be in the top six then we need to be playing 4-4-2 like the other teams. We've got enough players that can play in the first 11 so they can be rotated and rested over a season.

 

Couldn't be happier with the result, and looked like a fairly good performance by the boys.

[carlmc25]

I think we should look at eventually playing AJ and Yak together. If we want to be in the top six then we need to be playing 4-4-2 like the other teams. We've got enough players that can play in the first 11 so they can be rotated and rested over a season.

 

Couldn't be happier with the result, and looked like a fairly good performance by the boys.

 

Eventually the 442 formation may be the way to go, but we don't need to play it to finish top 6.

 

tbh I don't understand this 442 mentality? I mean, sure - I think everyone probably wants us to play the traditional 442 but at the moment we just don't have the players. We've played the last 4 games this season with the 451, and guess what - we've won them all. I'll quote the match report in today's Echo:

 

"Since Carsley returned to the side against Larissa, the game that kick started this winning spree, Everton look a much better balanced unit and that is not a coincidence. It’s been said before and it will be said again; 4-5-1 suits this team down to the ground. Carsley fills the least flashy role – the midfield gremlin whose job it is to break up opposition attacks and start the ball rolling for his own team – but few do it better................

 

What’s more, when he is in the starting line-up, it allows free spirits like Mikel Arteta, Steven Pienaar and Leon Osman scope to express themselves, while Phil Neville is allowed to play in his best position of right-back."

 

I think there can be no doubt that our whole midfield is far superior in a 5 man midfield, in a 4 we lack height, we lack grit, we lack guile and we lack possession of the ball. In a 5 we have the perfect balance. Come January, we may go out and sign that worldclass CM we all want, if that happens then roll on 442 and see if it works, but surely most people must now recognise just how much better our current team is in a 451, how much better we pass the ball, how much more solid our defence looks, how much more potent Cahill is etc. The only time 451 looks a bit of a dud is when Beattie played, or when someone with no pace plays (McFadden could struggle) up front on his own. Vaughan, AJ, Yakubu can all make 451 work.

 

I do think we could win matches with a 442, but I think we would win a lot more and pick up a lot more points away from home in a 451. You also have to remember we finished 4th with a 451 AND we picked up a lot of results early last season with the same formation. I think I'll go insane if people get on Moyes back for playing 451 again!!! It's the best idea he's ever had:D

Edited November 5, 2007 by carlmc25

[Calico]

I meant long term. It's the mentality of "we're lucky to be here" teams to stick with a 4-5-1 IMO

 

Plus, our midfield will get too stretched with tiredness, injuries, and suspension if we play 4-5-1 every single game. I mean, we have 5 strikers and are only playing one up front. Like I said, it's a long term issue, but it does have drawbacks short term as well.

[carlmc25]

I meant long term. It's the mentality of "we're lucky to be here" teams to stick with a 4-5-1 IMO

 

Plus, our midfield will get too stretched with tiredness, injuries, and suspension if we play 4-5-1 every single game. I mean, we have 5 strikers and are only playing one up front. Like I said, it's a long term issue, but it does have drawbacks short term as well.

 

good point, it is a bit of a worry how we're going to manage the 451 for the whole season, although to be fair, even in a 442 we'll have the same problem as we still have loads of DM cover (3 defensive midfielders) but only really 2/3 decent wingers (Arteta, Pienaar and possibly Osman).

 

As I said earlier, I think 442 has to be what we aim for, but at the moment we just can't do it against the big teams, particularly away from home or after tough midweek matches. I seriously believe the likes of Chelsea will not relish one bit facing a full strength Everton team in a 451 formation, I don't think anyone would. I'm not saying we would beat Chelsea, or even draw, but we'd give anyone a heck of a game. I just hope Moyes puts out a rotated/slightly weakened team against Nurnberg, as I really think we need to have our key players fresh for the Chelsea match.

[Calico]

Yeah, we could get a hammering by Chelsea if the lads are jaded, injured or whatever. However, we have Sunderland after Chelsea so regardless of whether they're tired or not, if we can't beat Sunderland with the squad we've got then we may as well give up the chase for the UEFA place now.

[KillaGTiR]

well here is the link to the goals if anyone didnt see them

 

 

http://profile.imeem.com/Ku_Nm5P/video/gbu...1_sports_video/

[jamiemaher85]

i think we need a TT sponsered race between the two!!!

 

think that aj had slowed down abit recently but i thnk thats down to injuries hes picked up and that he has been in strenght and weight training to build him up a bit more. Like owen did, he has lost a bit of pace put gained some strenght. whether that is the right thing to do im not sure...